THE ANGLERS SOUVENIR. 



161 



that his puns were so apt, and uttered with such 

 quaint gravity, that one was compelled to laugh at 

 them. 



Before us lay the pool in its sheltered hollow, 

 reed surrounded, with inner belts of rushes and the 

 smooth water horse-tail ; its surface intersected 

 with waterhens and coots, a heron in the shallows, 

 and wild-ducks playing on an iris-island. The very 

 water was greenish in colour, and then it had a back- 

 ground of alders, and willows, and black fir-forest. 



Our rods were soon together ; but an unforeseen 

 difficulty arose. The water of the pool was un- 

 usually high, and had flooded the belt of willows 

 around, covering the few standing-places there 

 ever had been. It was far too cold to wade, and it 

 really seemed as if we could not get at the pool to 

 fish it. At the only open space it was too shallow. 

 At last we discovered a spot at the lee-side of the 

 pool, where, by breaking down the branches of 

 the dwarf willows, and placing a line of stepping- 

 stones, we could just make room for one to stand. 

 Even then there was not sufficient room to swing 

 the rod backwards for a throw-out, and the wind was 

 so strong that it was difficult to throw in its teeth. 

 Herbert had brought with him a salmon-rod, which 

 had been given to him, and which he had never 

 before used. Knowing the usual difficulty of reach- 

 ing out, he had wisely brought it with him, and he 

 was able to commence fishing at once his float 

 lying twenty feet beyond ours, which reposed un- 



